Daniel Kiper

Dr Daniel Kiper is Assistant Professor at the Center for Church Archives, Libraries and Museums (ABMK) of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. His work focuses on the history of Polish diaspora media, digital archiving of ecclesiastical records, and the socio-religious history of the Kingdom of Poland at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Research interests concentrate on three inter-linked areas:

• Polish-language press in the United States before 1918 – its political discourse, humour, visual culture and reception among immigrants;
• Digital preservation and scholarly exploitation of Catholic archives, especially the records of the Lutsk diocese and parish materials from the Eastern Borderlands;
• Social history of Roman-Catholic parish clergy and everyday religious life in the former Kingdom of Poland.

Across more than thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters published between 2015 and 2024, Kiper has analysed newspaper titles such as Ogniwo (New York), Grand Rapids Courier, Echo z Polski / Echo Polskie and Zgoda, revealing how Polish immigrants constructed identity, debated independence, and negotiated relations with other ethnic groups in America. Methodologically, he combines traditional archival research with digital humanities tools.

Current grants & projects

• Principal Investigator, “Archives of the Lutsk Diocese – digital edition”, financed by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science (2022–2025);
• Project Leader, “The beginnings of the Polish-language press in the United States (until 1890) – query”, financed by the National Science Centre (NCN).

Dr Kiper is an active conference organiser and speaker, having convened the 1st All-Poland Conference of Doctoral Students at the Catholic University of Lublin and delivered invited papers in Warsaw, Lublin and other centres.